Thursday, January 29, 2009

Gumbo!

Hey ya'll! Because no Southern cookbook is complete without a gumbo recipe, I developed this tasty Tempeh Gumbo last night:

Honestly, it was my first time making gumbo, but I followed some roux-makin' instructions from an omni recipe. Then I added no-chicken broth, the mandatory okra and tomatoes, some other yummy veggies, and my favorite faux-meat-of-the-moment, tempeh. I love how a good roux creates a thick, hearty stew. Perfect for warmin' my bones on these cold winter nights. Memphis actually got a light dusting of snow Tuesday night — a rariety in these parts.

My friend Greg came over last night to try and connect my borrowed computer to the internet, but no luck (something about a missing network driver? I dunno ... I don't speak computer). But while he was there, I fed him a bowl of gumbo, and he gave it a thumbs up. He's picky, so his approval is a good thing.

No soup or stew is complete without bread. So I baked a loaf of Whole Wheat Beer Bread for gumbo-dippin':

This recipe will also be going into the book. But it's so simple that I'll share you all now.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix dry ingredients. Add beer. Stir to combine. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes, and then brush margarine over the top. Bake an additional 20-25 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

17 comments:

And yet another recipe for something I've never eaten in my whole life... I have to admit that I didn't even try to become a tester for your cookbook because how will I know if I get the recipes right?! I have absolutely nothing to compare them with! I hope to learn tons of things when I buy the cookbook!

So, seriously now, there's no way to be a tester anymore? Just kidding. I really would love to taste the Tempeh Gumbo because it looks really good. I'm one of those rare people who can't love tempeh. Somehow though this gumbo could change my feelings.

My name is Bianca ...

About Me

I'm a 9-year vegan, 19-year vegetarian from the Mid-South, not too far from the muddy banks of the Mississippi River. And that means cornbread, butter beans, and collard greens.
These days, I live in Memphis. Check out my cookbook — Cookin' Crunk. It's filled with yummilicious veganized soul food and country classics.